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By Mary Carol Garrity

Realize that problems are part of the package when you're a pet owner.

In the first weeks we had Sissy, she soiled the carpet, chewed a hole in Dan's good wool coat (which he continues to wear, much to my horror) and gnawed on the kitchen cabinets. Instead of having a meltdown, I decided to view the little puppy teeth marks as a sweet memory I can either preserve or sand out and repaint.

Despite any havoc your pets may wreak on your decor, they more than make up for it by helping to make your house a home.

(Mary Carol Garrity is the proprietor of three successful home furnishings stores in Atchison, Kan., including her flagship store Nell Hill's. She is the author of several bestselling books on home decorating.)

Next: How to Live With Antiques

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